So I’ve been having this overheating problem for about 9 months now. I didn’t take the car to the mechanic because I’m a do it yourselfer and I don’t drive very often so it wasn’t a big deal.

I never let the temp gauge get more than three quarters of the way much less all the way to overheating so don’t try to scold me.

So initially I thought it was my fan clutch. I have an older vehicle so I don’t have an electrical fan so when I tested the fan clutch, it was extremely loose. You can test your fan clutch by warming up your engine and then trying to stop the fan with a folded up newspaper or something relatively soft but not easy to break.

When I put the newpaper in the fan it stopped instantly and I was actually able to turn the fan in the opposite direction. This is a telltale sign of a dead fan clutch. So I ordered a new fan clutched almost immediately.

In hindsight, I should’ve ordered the clutch from a store in Jamaica such as Bert’s Auto but places in Jamaica have left such a sour taste in my mouth due to their high mark ups. I later found out that Bert’s was selling the clutch for basically the same price I bought it for online but it was too late by then.

Anyway, I got the new clutch and it was garbage. The minute I got it, I knew it was garbage because of how it freewheeled. But I installed it anyway, because I thought maybe there was something I was overlooking.

Moving on, it didn’t work. Car was still overheating so I ordered another one on warranty and that was also messed up. I eventually decided to get a welder to lock up my old clutch and that helped some. The car would stay cool a little longer but it was still overheating.

After thinking and reading some more online, I started thinking about my radiator cap. There was stuff online saying to pressure test the system and the cap and I did just that, except with my own breath. Mind you, I was going to get an actual pressure test done afterward but I decided to blow to first try my makeshift version even though a human can’t create anywhere near the pressure to truly test a cooling system.

I blew into my radiator first and closed off the opening to the overflow tank. The system felt closed. Then I reconnected the overflow tank and radiator cap, removed the upper radiator hose, blew into the radiator from that connection while blocking off the connection to the engine and alas, I found my weakness.

The radiator cap was weak because I was hearing the air escape through the overflow tank. A human breath isn’t supposed to be strong enough to activate the spring in the cap so that had to be the weakness.

I replaced the cap that very day and I haven’t had any problems since.

I almost got carried away with my car love; I just noticed my first two posts were about vehicles. But for this post, I’m giving some advice to my fellow college students.

Happiness is the underlying factor that will allow you to flourish in college life and beyond.

Happiness is no easy pursuit but even I with my wild semi-bipolar mood swings have managed to reach more content levels of being, and consequently have performed significantly better in college. If you’re depressed, doing well in school will be much harder. This is quite intuitive. To be happier, you need to achieve balance.

3) Intellectual Being
– feeding the fuel of your curiosity and passions

If you feel like you are learning a lot in college from your classes but feel your social needs are being neglected, devote more time and energy to meeting people. Learning is not only done through textbooks but people (who actually author books). In addition, you may meet people with similar interests that may help you in the future with networking opportunities. Seek balance and make a change.

Study Strategies

Do read but never take notes from reading. Reading should be a supplement to your lectures. If you must, write a few words at most that will trigger a memory recall. Never regurgitate a twenty sentence paragraph because it sounds eloquent. That’s just impractical and a waste of time. Be economical and realize that in college, time is the value of currency.
Attend all your lectures and base your studying from the notes in lecture. Do write down everything from class even if it seems obvious or not worth writing about. The exams will probably based mostly from the notes. Harder questions on the exams will be derived from concepts in your notes, so writing everything down will serve as a guideline for selecting what to focus on the important sections of your reading.
Classically condition yourself to do homework AS SOON AS POSSIBLE at a specific location where you are isolated. I study at the top floor of the engineering library where I hibernate into my studies throughout the week. If you are tired and about to black out, get your ass out of there and sleep somewhere else. Program your body to realize that the special table you use to study at that special place signifies the ZONE. Once you’re in the ZONE, you read, absorb knowledge like a sponge, and get the hell out so you can continue with your life. The ZONE is supposed to be your “No dickin’ around area.”
If you get tired while reading, take a break. Walk around. Shake your legs.

Take breaks ever hour.

Drink lots of water. Make sure you bring a water bottle to each study sesh.

If you listen to music, create a study playlist for classical/instrumental music only. Anything will words will definitely lower your attentiveness and therefore reduce your productivity levels.

Forskohlii Supplements
Green Tea – also helps your skin
Find your optimal sleeping range. For most its 6-7 hours. If you sleep more or less than your optimal sleeping range, you will be tired and will struggle keeping your eyes open, which is probably twice as hard for you Asians.
Stress – www.mindhabits.com
Motivation – create and print a motivation page you carry everywhere you go. If you’re feeling tired or lazy or ill-motivated, take 5 minutes and remind yourself about the things you want to do and accomplish in life.This “Get Fired Up” page should include a list of your: goals, quotes, inspirational people, and anything else you want. Include pictures and make it creative!

A friend of mine recently wanted to buy a car but he had no idea about how to go about it. I walked him through the process and now he has his 2009 Honda Fit. Nice little car but this article isn’t about the Fit.

Instead, it’s about the process of buying a car in Jamaica. Generally, it’s the same in any country but the resources I link to are specifically for Jamaica.

Shopping Around

Before you take your money and give it to anyone, you have to take your time and shop around to see what’s available on the market. It helps if you have an idea of what type of vehicle you’d like to get. You can look in the newspapers, search in Google, Shop in Ja, or the many local marketplace groups on Facebook. On fb, I came across a site advertising vehicles for sale in Jamaica. It seems to be fairly new but gaining traction very quickly.

There are also quite a few dealers with Facebook groups online as well. The point I’m trying to make is that it helps to look into some resource, preferably online first so you can see pictures of any vehicle you’re interested in.

Contact The Buyer

After you’ve narrowed down your choice, contact the buyer(s). Try to narrow it down to about 3 different buyers/cars just in case one or two fall through. But contact the buyer to organize a meeting so you can examine the vehicle. Sometimes pictures don’t tell the full story and you don’t want to pay for something then can’t get a refund because if someone is willing to sell you faulty merchandise, you can bet they’ll be stingy with refunds.

Bring a Mechanic

Unless you’re a car savvy person who’s able to look for signs of a faulty vehicle, you should bring an experienced mechanic with you when you go to inspect the vehicle. Your mechanic will be able to tell you if the car is in good shape and if the price is a reasonable one.

It may be tempting to just buy the car once it’s driving but please take the advice of your mechanic on this. It can save you from endless headaches down the road.

Make the Payment

If you can, try to avoid paying by cash. Pay instead by cheque or bank transfer and SECURE A RECEIPT.

Organize Transfer

The final stage is to get the transfer underway. The process of transferring registration of a car in Jamaica is very simple and Tax Administration has outlined the process in simple terms here in an article on the Gleaner website.

The following is a post about my first time at Dover Raceway. It was one of the best days of my life and though I don’t remember everything (it was a decade ago), I’ll write what I can. I would tell you to close your eyes and join me for the ride, but then how could you read?

So rather, open your eyes, and journey with me on my first time at Dover.

As the morning slips from under the sun, you cannot help but notice how far removed from misery, complications and negative associations, each new day appears to be. Monday the 16th of October, 2006 was no different. If and when you get the opportunity (if you have not done so already ), try going for an extended drive between 4 am and 7 am. I assure you, you will thank me for it.

Now, of course I wasn’t driving. My brother was but the experience is way beyond relaxing.

So on the day in question, we left Kingston early and headed for the hills of Dover. At 6:45 am we were greeted by a rather stern Mr. Ralph** who was unflinching in his use of language when he informed us that we would not be permitted to enter, until the relevant persons arrived. Fortunately, Chris ‘Teach’ McFarlane came and saved the day and all the outcasts and competitors in the IP45 class who were locked out were allowed to venture beyond the closed gates.

Dover, for the most part was still asleep, with less than a handful of persons milling about. Team RS still had their night tent up, yes, Team boss ‘Ice’ and the team of mechanics slept at the track- read – dedication. Most of the garages/pits were locked and the smell of breakfast was slowly beautifying the moist morning air. As I said earlier, there was no indication, that we would all be ‘Rumbling in the Bronx’ in a few hours. You would be forgiven if you were questioning if you were at the correct Dover. There was very little in the way of information that it was race day.

This was about to change as the scrutineers did not waste time and in an air pressure check time, the switches were flicked, keys turned and the cars were making their way to be weighed and examined by Mr. Brown and his crew. With scrutineering underway it was slowly becoming apparent that you were –yes, at the race track.

A practice session confirmed the racing agenda and the early spectators got an opportunity to witness most of the cars go through their paces to facilitate final adjustments. As quickly as practice got underway it ended and qualifying began. Lap times determined the classes for the competitors and we progressed to the opening ceremony.

The official opening ceremony preceded the races and during the ceremony a tribute was made to ‘Dover’s Fallen Heroes’. During the naming of the fallen heroes, ‘Teach’ had a rare announcer’s slip when he identified David Summerbell Jr. and not Snr. as a fallen hero. The fans had a little laugh as Teach apologized, he was forgiven, after which the drivers, sponsors etc. were introduced amidst hand claps and cheers from the appreciative crowd. Then, it was on to the business of racing.

The first race of the day, Improved Production, signaled the beginning of the heroic efforts on the part of drivers which would accompany the races on the schedule. Starting at the back of the grid, Matthew Gore driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II, brought the spectators rather early to their feet, as he romped through the field, leaving a trail of outperformed vehicles in his wake. Matthew drove to the front of the pack by overtaking everything with an engine and four wheels in front of him, including brother Doug, and Teddy Burton driving the M.A.D. Honda Civic. Unfortunately both Matthew and Teddy’s cars were bitten by mechanical gremlins and did not feature much in the race program for the remainder of the day.

Next up was the IP 45 street class. This class has cars which the fans can identify with, or relate to, and the drivers are for the most part amateurs. The IP45 class had an interesting mix of cars – all daily drivers, but you would not have guessed it when the green flag was waved. Without a hint of uncertainty, Monique Gibbs was the most impressive driver for IP45 race 1. Monique explored the potential of her Mitsubishi Evo VIII and with surgical precision she sliced her way through the field. She led the class to the checkered flag or so we thought. The rules governing the class specify a time restriction, with penalties for failing to adhere to the time constraints. As such the first five drivers/cars across the line, including Monique, were disqualified. In the second IP45 race, however, Monique drove much more controlled and as such she was justly rewarded by placing first.

One of the most impressive drivers for the day to me was Doug Gore who was apparently driving an omnipresent car. It was visible, parading at the front in most of the races, but he did receive a strong challenge from a few drivers. In one of his races, Terron Ramdon rose to the occasion and made a valiant attempt at dethroning Gore’s machine. Terron’s support crew especially those stationed in the Bowla garage were beside themselves with joy. Each time the cars came towards the start finish straight away, their party stepped up a few decibels as they whistled and the ladies screamed as they urged Terron on. Doug did enough to remain in front and took first place while Terron was awarded a well deserved second for his efforts (first in IP35 class) closely followed by Lisa Bowman Lee ( second in class IP35).

During the lunch break, the entertainment package changed gears. A lucky patron won an opportunity to go for a ride around the circuit in one of the race cars. Asafa Powell was present making the trophy presentations, after which he was taken for a ride around the track by one of the accomplished drivers. A few prizes were available from event sponsors, which was welcomed by the patrons as they willfully raced to the announcers station to answer the questions.

After lunch, there were a few more great races but my memory won’t allow me to elaborate on them like the ones I mentioned previously.

All in all it was a fun day and I’m sure it played a pivotal role in my obsession with cars. There was a massive spectator turn out at the venue, the races were competitive and entertaining, the total package included sponsor and fan involvement and spectators got the opportunity to measure up to the world’s fastest (at the time) and most humble human being –our own Asafa Powell. Local ‘superstars’ could always learn a lesson in humility from ‘Afasa’ – a real class act!

This is Cameron’s Closet and this blog will be a diary of sorts, where I will share the happenings of my life as a student in Jamaica.

My name isn’t actually Cameron. I just decided on this pen name. Maybe one day I’ll reveal my true identify but until then, you can call me Cameron. I am a 21 year old student studying Business Administration and currently living in Kingston.

I’m not so much into sports but I am into cars – my favourite vehicle is the Nissan Skyline GTR.

I don’t know where the love for the GTR came from but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume it came from watching the Fast and the Furious franchise.

On my blog, there will be rants, videos, general information about my daily life and cars and just whatever I feel like posting. As I said, this will be a diary of sorts.

So join me on this journey and please share with your friends if you find my content interesting!